Safe Food Handling Tips

At Green Chef, customer safety is our top priority. Safe steps in food handling, cooking, and storage are essential to prevent foodborne illness. You can’t see, smell, or taste harmful bacteria that may cause illness. To help you make sure that the products you purchase, store, and prepare are kept safe, Green Chef has put together information provided by the FDA, USDA, and other government agencies here, in one easy place, for your reference. You can also go to the direct links of these agency guidelines for more information.* In every step of food preparation, follow these four steps of the Food Safe Families campaign to help keep food safe:

1. Clean: Wash hands and surfaces often.
   • Wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food and after using the bathroom, changing diapers, and handling pets.
   • Wash your cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops with hot soapy water after preparing each food item.
   • Consider using paper towels to clean up kitchen surfaces. If you use cloth towels, launder them often in the hot cycle.
   • Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under running tap water, including those with skins and rinds that are not eaten. Scrub firm produce with a clean produce brush.
2. Separate: Don’t cross-contaminate.
   • Separate raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs from other foods in your storage and refrigerator.
   • Use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry, and seafood.
   • Never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs unless the plate has been washed in hot, soapy water.
   • Don’t reuse marinades used on raw foods.
3. Cook: Cook to the right temperature.
   • Color and texture are unreliable indicators of safety. Using a food thermometer is the only way to ensure the safety of meat, poultry, seafood, and egg products for all cooking methods. These foods must be cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature to destroy any harmful bacteria.
   • Cook eggs until the yolk and white are firm. Only use recipes in which eggs are cooked or heated thoroughly.
   • When cooking in a microwave oven, cover food, stir, and rotate for even cooking. If there is no turntable, rotate the dish by hand once or twice during cooking. Always allow standing time, which completes the cooking, before checking the internal temperature with a food thermometer.
   • Bring sauces, soups, and gravy to a boil when reheating.
4. Chill: Refrigerate promptly
   • Use an appliance thermometer to be sure the refrigerated temperature is consistently 40° F or below and the freezer temperature is 0° F or below.
   • Refrigerate or freeze meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, and other perishables within 2 hours of cooking and refrigerate these items immediately after unpacking from the Green Chef meal kit box.
   • Never thaw food at room temperature, such as on the countertop. There are three safe ways to defrost food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in the microwave. Food thawed in cold water or in the microwave should be cooked immediately.
   • Always marinate food in the refrigerator.
   • Divide large amounts of leftovers into shallow containers for quicker cooling in the refrigerator.

*See: USDA Basics for Handling Food Safely, FDA Safe Food Handling: What You Need to Know

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Additional tips for specific foods

Meat, Poultry & Liquid Eggs*

Storage

• Always refrigerate perishable food right away after opening your meal kit box.
• Check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer with an appliance thermometer. The refrigerator should be at 40°F (4.4°C) or below and the freezer at 0 °F (-17.7 °C) or below.
• Cook or freeze fresh poultry, fish, ground meats, and variety meats within 2 days; other beef, veal, lamb, or pork within 3 to 5 days.

Preparation

• Always wash hands before and after handling food.
• Don’t cross-contaminate. Keep raw meat, poultry, fish, and their juices away from other food. After cutting raw meats, wash hands, cutting board, knife, and countertops with hot, soapy water.
• Marinate meat and poultry in a covered dish in the refrigerator.
• Sanitize cutting boards by using a solution of 1 teaspoon chlorine bleach in 1 quart of water.

Cooking

• Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145°F (62.8°C) as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.
• Ground meat: Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal temperature of 160°F (71.1° C) as measured with a food thermometer.
• Poultry: Cook all poultry to an internal temperature of 165°F (73.9°C) as measured with a food thermometer.

Serving

• Cold food should be held at 40°F (4.4°C) or colder.
• Perishable food should not be left out more than 2 hours at room temperature—1 hour when the temperature is above 90°F (32.2°C).

Leftovers

• Discard any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours—1 hour if the temperature was above 90°F (32.2°C).
• Place food into shallow containers and immediately put in the refrigerator or freezer for rapid cooling.
• Use cooked leftovers within 4 days.
• Reheat leftovers to 165°F (73.9°C).

*See: USDA Basics for Handling Food Safely

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Raw Eggs*

To prevent illness from bacteria: keep eggs refrigerated, cook eggs until yolks are firm, and cook foods containing eggs thoroughly.

Storage

Proper storage of eggs can affect both quality and safety.

• Use hard-cooked eggs (in the shell or peeled) within 1 week after cooking.
• Use frozen eggs within 1 year. Eggs should not be frozen in their shells. To freeze whole eggs, beat yolks and whites together. Egg whites can also be frozen by themselves.
• Refrigerate leftover cooked egg dishes and use within 3 to 4 days. When refrigerating a large amount of a hot egg-containing leftover, divide it into several shallow containers so it will cool quickly.

Preparation

Wash hands, utensils, equipment, and work surfaces with hot, soapy water before and after they come in contact with raw eggs and raw egg-containing foods.

• Cook eggs until both the yolk and the white are firm. Scrambled eggs should not be runny.
• Casseroles and other dishes containing eggs should be cooked to 160°F. Use a food thermometer to be sure.
• For recipes that call for eggs that are raw or undercooked when the dish is served—like Caesar salad dressing and homemade ice cream—use either shell eggs that have been treated to destroy Salmonella, by pasteurization or another approved method, or pasteurized egg products.

Serving

Follow these serving guidelines for eggs and egg dishes.

• Serve cooked eggs (such as hard-boiled eggs and fried eggs) and egg-containing foods (such as such as quiches and soufflés) immediately after cooking. Cooked eggs and egg dishes may be refrigerated for serving later but should be thoroughly reheated to 165°F before serving.
• Never leave cooked eggs or egg dishes out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours or for more than 1 hour when temperatures are above 90°F. Bacteria that can cause illness grow quickly at warm temperatures (between 40°F and 140°F).
• For party planning, keep hot egg dishes hot and cold egg dishes cold:
  • Keep egg dishes refrigerated until time to serve.
  • Serve small platters of reheated egg dishes at a time to ensure the food stays at the proper temperature. Replenish as needed, or at least every 2 hours.
  • Keep cold egg dishes on ice if they are going to stay out longer than 2 hours.

*See: FDA Egg Safety: What You Need to Know

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Seafood*

Storage

• Put seafood on ice or in the refrigerator or freezer soon after receiving it. If seafood will be used within 2 days after purchase, store it in the refrigerator. Otherwise, wrap it tightly in plastic, foil, or moisture-proof paper and store it in the freezer.
• Separate raw seafood from cooked foods.
• Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water before and after handling any raw food.

Preparation

• Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops with soap and hot water between the preparation of raw foods, such as seafood, and the preparation of cooked or ready-to-eat foods.
• Thaw frozen seafood gradually by placing it in the refrigerator overnight. If you have to thaw seafood quickly, either seal it in a plastic bag and immerse it in cold water or—if the food will be cooked immediately thereafter—microwave it on the “defrost” setting and stop the defrost cycle while the fish is still icy but pliable.
• Most seafood should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F. If you don’t have a food thermometer, there are other ways to determine whether seafood is done:
  • Fish: The flesh should be opaque and separate easily with a fork.
  • Shrimp and Lobster: The flesh becomes pearly and opaque.
  • Scallops: The flesh turns opaque and firm.
  • Clams, Mussels, and Oysters: The shells open during cooking—throw out ones that don’t open.

Serving

• Never leave seafood or other perishable food out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours or for more than 1 hour when temperatures are above 90°F. Bacteria that can cause illness grow quickly at warm temperatures (between 40°F and 140°F).
• Keep hot seafood hot and cold seafood cold.

*See: FDA Fresh and Frozen Seafood: Selecting and Serving It Safely

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Spicy Foods

Preparation

• Always wash your hands before and after handling spicy foods (e.g., jalapeño, cayenne, etc.).
• Avoid touching your eyes or face after handling spicy foods.

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Cold Storage Chart*

Product	Refrigerator (40°F/4.4°C)	Freezer (0°F/-17.7°C)
EGGS
Fresh, in shell	3 to 5 weeks	Do not freeze
Raw yolks & whites	2 to 4 days	1 year
Hard cooked	1 week	Does not freeze well
LIQUID PASTEURIZED EGG, EGG SUBSTITUTES
Opened	3 days	Does not freeze well
Unopened	10 days	1 year
Mayonnaise Commercial, refrigerate after opening	2 months	Do not freeze
DELI & VACUUM-PACKED PRODUCTS
Store-prepared (or homemade) egg, chicken, ham, tuna, & macaroni salads	3 to 5 days	Does not freeze well
BACON & SAUSAGE
Bacon	7 days	1 month
Sausage, raw – from chicken, turkey, pork, beef	1 to 2 days	1 to 2 months
Smoked breakfast links, patties	7 days	1 to 2 months
Hard sausage – pepperoni, jerky sticks	2 to 3 weeks	1 to 2 months
SUMMER SAUSAGE (labeled “Keep Refrigerated”)
Opened	3 weeks	1 to 2 months
Unopened	3 months	1 to 2 months
HAM, FULLY COOKED
Vacuum sealed at plant, undated, unopened	2 weeks	1 to 2 months
Vacuum sealed at plant, dated, unopened	“Use By” date on package	1 to 2 months
Whole Half Slices	7 days 3 to 5 days 3 to 4 days	1 to 2 months
HAMBURGER, GROUND & STEW MEAT
Hamburger & stew meat	1 to 2 days	3 to 4 months
Ground turkey, veal, pork, lamb, & mixtures of them	1 to 2 days	3 to 4 months
FRESH BEEF, VEAL, LAMB, PORK
Steaks	3 to 5 days	6 to 12 months
Chops	3 to 5 days	4 to 6 months
Roasts	3 to 5 days	4 to 12 months
Variety meats – tongue, liver, heart, kidneys, chitterlings	1 to 2 days	3 to 4 months
Pre-stuffed, uncooked pork chops, lamb chops, or chicken breasts stuffed with dressing	1 day	Does not freeze well
SOUPS & STEWS
Vegetable or meat added Cooked meat & meat casseroles	3 to 4 days	2 to 3 months
COOKED MEAT LEFTOVERS
Gravy & meat broth	3 to 4 days	2 to 3 months
FRESH POULTRY
Chicken or turkey, whole	1 to 2 days	1 year
Chicken or turkey, pieces	1 to 2 days	9 months
Giblets	1 to 2 days	3 to 4 months
COOKED POULTRY LEFTOVERS
Fried chicken	3 to 4 days	4 months
Cooked poultry casseroles	3 to 4 days	4 to 6 months
Pieces, plain	3 to 4 days	4 months
Pieces covered with broth, gravy	3 to 4 days	6 months
Chicken nuggets, patties	3 to 4 days	1 to 3 months
FISH/SHELLFISH
Lean fish	1 to 2 days	6 months
Fatty fish	1 to 2 days	2 to 3 months
Cooked fish	3 to 4 days	4 to 6 months
Smoked fish	14 days	2 months
Fresh shrimp, scallops, crawfish, squid	1 to 2 days	3 to 6 months
CHEESE PRODUCTS
Cheese – soft (e.g., cream cheese)	2 weeks opened	N/A
Cheese - processed or hard	3-6 months unopened 3-4months opened 2 weeks sliced	Small pieces – 6 months
FRUIT PRODUCTS
Fruit – fresh whole*	*Fruit storage varies by type. After refrigerating, store from 3 days to 3 weeks; prepared for freezing, fruits can be frozen for up to 1 year
Fruit – dried	6 months after opened	N/A
OTHER
Jams/Jellies	6 months	N/A
Pickles, pickled vegetables	2 months opened	N/A
Olives	2 weeks	N/A
Oil, olive or vegetable	N/A	N/A
Oils, nut	4 months opened	N/A
Vinegar	N/A	N/A
Mustard	1 year opened	N/A
Honey	N/A	N/A
Pure Maple Syrup	1 year opened	N/A
Nuts – cans, jars, or cellophane	6 months opened	1 year opened
OTHER COOKED LEFTOVERS
Pizza, cooked	3 to 4 days	1 to 2 months
Stuffing, cooked	3 to 4 days	1 month

*See: USDA Basics for Handling Food Safely, FDA Refrigerator & Freezer Storage Chart, USDA Mail Order Food Safety

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Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures*

(as measured with a food thermometer)

Food Type	Internal Temperature
Beef, Pork, Veal, and Lamb (chops, roasts, steaks)	145°F, with a 3 minute rest time
Ground Meat	160°F
Ham, uncooked (fresh or smoked)	145°F, with a 3 minute rest time
Ham, fully cooked (to reheat)	140°F
Poultry (ground, parts, whole, and stuffing)	165°F
Eggs	Cook until yolk & white are firm
Egg Dishes	160°F
Fin Fish	145°F or flesh is opaque & separates easily with fork
Shrimp, Lobster, and Crabs	Flesh pearly & opaque
Clams, Oysters, and Mussels	Shells open during cooking
Scallops	Flesh is milky white or opaque and firm
Leftovers and Casseroles	165°F

*See: FDA Safe Food Handling: What You Need to Know

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